Chapter 145: Building a Team

Inside the bedroom, Zhu Gaoxu and Li Quan sat on opposite sides.

Without waiting for Zhu Gaoxu to speak, Li Quan took the initiative to pull out silver banknotes from his bosom.

Zhu Gaoxu took them and counted them; there were exactly eighty thousand taels, no more, no less.

Nodding, Zhu Gaoxu took out a one-thousand-tael banknote from the pile, handed it to Li Quan, and said, "Take this, it's for your hard work."

Faced with this one thousand taels, Li Quan was somewhat fearful and trembling; he waved his hand to refuse, saying, "This lowly one did nothing. Everything was arranged by my master; I am ashamed to accept this money."

Zhu Gaoxu did not listen to Li Quan; he stuffed the one thousand taels of silver into Li Quan's bosom and said, "I told you to take it, so take it. There will be many things in the future where I will inevitably need you."

Upon hearing these words from Zhu Gaoxu, Li Quan felt a surge of joy in his heart.

What he was happy about was, of course, more than just this one thousand taels of silver.

He had once been a chief manager himself; it was not as if he had never seen silver before.

The main thing was that Zhu Gaoxu's words clearly indicated an intention to cultivate him as one of his own; in Li Quan's eyes, this was the most important thing.

This time, Li Quan did not refuse; he respectfully accepted the silver banknote Zhu Gaoxu had stuffed into his hands.

Just by delivering a shipment, he had earned one thousand taels of silver.

Zhu Gaoxu's generosity was clearly very great.

Regarding this, Zhu Gaoxu felt it was only right.

His father was making plans, his grandfather Lao Zhu was making plans, and all the civil and military officials were making plans.

Zhu Gaoxu was thinking about whether he should start building his own team from now on.

And from Zhu Gaoxu's current perspective, the path he had to take was not an easy one.

From the moment Zhu Di changed his mind, he knew the course of events would change.

Although according to the flow of history, Zhu Di would eventually get his wish and reach that high position.

But after all, the acquisition of the throne would be illegitimate, leaving behind many hidden dangers for future generations.

Moreover, if he reached that step, the financial and material resources consumed by the internal strife between the states would also be significant.

Most importantly, through what he had seen and heard in Jingcheng over the past few days, Zhu Gaoxu seriously doubted that the death of Zhu Yuanzhang was that simple.

Among this, what Zhu Yunwen and the Civil Official Group had done was certainly far more complex than what could be seen on the surface.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu now had to have power in his own hands.

He did not ask to dominate the imperial court, but at least enough to protect himself would suffice.

So, Zhu Gaoxu had to set up his own operation.

Not only in the military, but also in the imperial court, the provinces, the business world, and the world of martial arts, he had to make arrangements.

And looking at it now, Li Quan was a pretty good candidate.

And before deciding whether to use Li Quan, Zhu Gaoxu did not mind spending a little money to win over his heart first.

At the same time, Zhu Gaoxu also intended to give Li Quan more authority as a test.

Thinking this way, Zhu Gaoxu spoke directly: "I have a piece of land outside the city; I presume you are aware of it. I have a glass factory there. Besides that, I plan to open another establishment in a few days. You will have to work hard in the future, running between the two places; those matters there are also handed over to you."

Although he had decided to use Li Quan for his own purposes, Zhu Gaoxu also had to see Li Quan's capabilities.

If Li Quan could manage both sides without any mishaps, there would naturally be greater benefits waiting for him.

If problems arose on either side, whether it was due to Li Quan's lack of ability or because he harbored improper thoughts, Zhu Gaoxu would not lose anything at all; he could find someone else, and as for Li Quan, he would naturally face a different fate.

Li Quan was a smart man; upon hearing these words from Zhu Gaoxu, he understood his meaning.

He immediately nodded with a serious expression and agreed.

"This lowly one will certainly not fail the master's trust!"

Nodding, Zhu Gaoxu chatted with Li Quan for a few more moments, and seeing that it was getting late, Li Quan took the initiative to bid farewell.

After Li Quan left, Zhu Gaoxu practiced his arts as usual, then lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, after washing up, Zhu Gaoxu had breakfast with Zhu Di and the others.

Just after finishing, a yamen runner found his way to the Wangfu.

Upon calling him over to inquire, it turned out he was looking for Zhu Gaoxu.

A yamen runner first bowed to Zhu Di and the others, then cautiously said to Zhu Gaoxu, "Reporting to the Nanyang Commandery Prince, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, Lord Chen, requests your presence."

Hearing this from the yamen runner, Zhu Gaoxu knew it must be the Lord Chen whom Lao Zhu had asked him to accompany to receive the envoys yesterday.

Nodding, Zhu Gaoxu stood up, greeted his father, and immediately followed the yamen runner out of the Wangfu.

First, he followed the yamen runner to the Ministry of Rites office and met the so-called Left Vice Minister of Rites, Lord Chen.

Much like an ordinary third-rank official, this Lord Chen could be considered advanced in age.

A rough look suggested he was about forty or fifty years old, which in ancient times was not considered middle-aged.

Having grown a beard early on, he sat in the hall wearing his official robes, stroking his beard while reading a book.

When Zhu Gaoxu and the yamen runner entered, the yamen runner spoke first: "My Lord, the Nanyang Commandery Prince has arrived."

That Lord Chen seemed to have just come to his senses; he put down the book in his hand, waved his hand to signal the yamen runner to withdraw, and then stood up to bow to Zhu Gaoxu: "Greetings, Nanyang Commandery Prince."

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu did not neglect his manners and replied politely.

"Lord Chen is too kind."

After the ordinary opening, Lord Chen did not continue with the pleasantries and went straight to the main topic.

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